Sister Act

As I post this blog, my sister is flying home to Houston after spending a week with us in our home here in London. I miss her already. We couldn't have packed any more into these past 7 days, because we have been on the go from breakfast to bedtime snack. I imagine when she goes back to work tomorrow, her feet will appreciate being under a desk all day, because we have walked miles this week in our attempt to leave no stones unturned.

Of course, we hit all the hot spots--the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace,

and since the queen is on holiday this month, she let us (and a few thousand others) go into her home for a peek. Shown above is the back of the palace from her gardens, a view most tourists don't get to see. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed in the palace, so you'll just have to take our word for it, that it was sumptuous.

On what was a very warm fall day, we headed to the Tower of London and had this picture taken in front of the Tower Bridge.

You can't come to London and not have your picture taken in front of Big Ben

and Parliament.

Thursday, she joined my American Women's Club friends and me for a bus trip to Penshurst Place in Kent. It is a fascinating six-centuries old manor house full of history with lovely gardens. More about this special place in a future blog.

An extra bonus of that day was being able to introduce Holly to some of my London friends, one of whom is named Holly as well. Here we are lunching at Royal Tunbridge Wells, a popular spa town of Georgian times.

And Holly made friends with one of the Chelsea pensioners in our neighborhood on one of our strolls.

A week of gorgeous weather was topped off with a beautiful day on Saturday when we enjoyed a celebration of the Thames River that was held this weekend. Here we were part of the many who dined on the Southwark Bridge spanning the river. St. Paul's Cathedral is in the distance.

Of course, two sisters can't get together without shopping, so we hit Harrod's a couple of times, and several other of my favorite shopping areas. Can you believe it did not rain a drop all week? How will she ever believe me from now on when I complain about the weather here?

To top it off, since we both love music so much, we made it to two musicals--Mamma Mia and the newly opened Sister Act. We loved them both. I think we make a pretty good "sister act" ourselves! Thanks for the memories, Holly!

Flight to London

We flew rather uneventfully from Houston to London today, or was it yesterday? Not sure how you classify that when you leave on a Saturday, travel through 6 time zones and land in London on Sunday morning. All I know is that fatigue has really set in as I write this, now that it is close to bedtime, but I have a couple of quick thoughts to share before retiring. First our arrival into Heathrow was not a pleasant Welcome to London-Glad You are Here greeting, to say the least. Typically, Mike and I sail through passport control, thanks to a rather clever system the Brits have designed. Named IRIS, the entry point into the UK goes like this. A year ago, our eyes were photographed and documented, so that when we enter the country now, we step into a booth, focus on two dots, the camera registers our irises, and then the door to the booth opens out to the other side allowing free access into the country--no hassle, no questions, no contacts with humans, and best of all, no lines.

Well, today of all days, the system was down, and so, we made our way to the end of the most atrocious line I have ever observed in the Heathrow Airport. Six planes arrived virtually at the same time, and approximately 1000 people were in line. (I didn't count them, you understand-I could barely keep my eyelids open, but the gentleman behind me did an approximation.) To add insult to injury, there were only 4 agents working, instead of the usual 8 0r 9. That meant we had to stand in line, captives in the Passport Control hall, for one hour and 40 minutes. Thank goodness we did not have any specific plans upon arrival or connections to make, because we would have been sadly disappointed.

The one bright spot in our travel, however, was my choice of movie with my dinner. Called Millions, and released in 2004, this film produced by Danny Boyle, of Slumdog Millionaire fame, captured me. I had never heard of it, but I was hooked from the first scene. Two young British boys are caught in a quandary of conscience and ethics when a quarter of a million pounds literally falls from the sky. The challenges they face in trying to decide how to spend it will delight you and warm your heart. I am a sucker for any movie with a little boy speaking in a British accent--I just want to take him home with me. If you want to see a heart-warming, feel-good story, go now to your Net Flex and Blockbuster lists and add this name-Millions. If you give the title a click, you'll get a preview and see a hint of what I'm talking about. Let me know if you've seen it and what you think!

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4086890777/

Robes of Glory

When Summer gathers up her robes of glory,

And, like a dream glides away.

Sarah Helen Whitman

Hope you enjoy my first attempt at a photo mosaic of some of this summer's flowers. With Autumn knocking at the door, I thought one more glimpse of the "robes of glory" was fitting. I'm headed to London once again, and so excited to take my sister with me this time. Hope we find time amongst all the touring to keep you updated with our travel journal.

Stay tuned....

Mission Cupcake

Recently, I accepted the mission of researching the cupcake bakeries within walking distance of my London house. I knew it would be a delicious assignment, so I carefully devised a strategy and made my plan of attack.

Cupcake shops are popping up everywhere in the city, as is evidenced in this little shop that appeared on Kings Road last spring. Can you imagine the excitement I felt to discover that the drab storefront that I often passed by while walking through the neighborhood could be transformed into such a cute shop while I was home on a two week visit to the US? LOVE is just a tiny hole in the wall, but inside there are great surprises.

I imagine that passengers on the double-decker buses passing by must hurriedly search for paper and pen to jot down the address so they can make a return visit.

Inside you'll find some of the prettiest cupcakes I've seen since starting my search

And flavors galore to choose from. Don't come too late, as I did once, because if they sell "out," then you're "out" of luck.

My "cupcake du jour" was a red velvet. Yum!

Moving further down Kings Road, you'll find the newest of the cupcake cafes I reviewed--the Chelsea Teapot. Wouldn't you love to pull up a chair here on the sidewalk with a pot of tea and a cupcake, or "fairy" cake as they are sometimes called?

The patron here has a collection of teapots and a varied menu including lunch from which to make your selection.

Don't fill up too much on lunch though, because you must save room for one of their chocolate cupcakes.

Closest to the South Kensington tube station that I use, is the ever popular Hummingbird cupcake cafe. With tables inside and out, many enjoy eating their cupcakes on the spot.

So many to choose from, it makes selecting difficult.

So when some Chicago friends were in town for a visit, we bought a lime-poppyseed, a vanilla, a red velvet and a chocolate cupcake to sample. Cutting each one into fourths, we had a cupcake smorgasbord that night with each of us getting a bite of each. All in the name of research. The lime-poppyseed was a big hit.

When our daughters-in-law were in town, Hummingbird got our vote for dessert that night.

Finally, I made the trek one day to the Buttercup bakery near High Street Kensington.

It was fun seeing their selection of flavors: mocha, Oreo cookie (hey, where did they find Oreos in London?) banana, banoffee (popular banana and toffee), coconut, vanilla with strawberry sprinkles

As well as carrot, white-n-black, vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, peanut butter

and for their American fans, the Limited Edition Elvis Presley cupcake: banana cake with peanut butter icing, just like he used to like it! Don't expect to see my cupcake purchase from here--it was such a long walk that I ate it on the spot, and then hopefully walked off the calories on the journey home.

Of course, the best cupcakes are those shared with friends

and family. So, what would be your choice if I delivered one to your door?

Summer at Trafalgar Square

If you've ever visited London, you've surely visited Trafalgar Square, a hub of activity in central London and a mecca for tourists. It is bordered on the north by the National Gallery and on the east by the church St. Martin-in-the-Fields. In the center, you'll find Nelson's Column, topped by a statue of Admiral Horatio Nelson who died in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It is surrounded by four lions and beautiful fountains. Around the perimeter of the square are four plinths. Now, if you are learning this word for the first time, as I did recently, a plinth is a heavy base that supports a statue or vase. Oddly enough, three of the plinths have statues on them, but due to lack of funds many years ago, one of them has remained empty. Through the years, it has served to showcase various works of arts that have rotated through. A permanent use is still up for debate. Interestingly enough, a 100 day live artwork project by Antony Gormley called One and Other was proposed for this summer. From July 4- October 14, individuals have been carried to the top of the plinth by a crane, where for one hour they were given the opportunity to be the center of attention--living statues, so to speak. Up to this point, over 33,000 applicants have tried for 2400 places.

I've happened by Trafalgar Square a few times this summer, and caught a few of the participants in the act. A menagerie of UK citizens have taken this chance to have their day in the sun, or the stars, for that matter since this goes on day and night, 24/7. They've used that opportunity to recite poetry, play a game, sing, preach, rant, inspire, paint, dance, and chat. The country has been amazed by some of the things they've seen.

This fellow spent half of his alloted hour setting up to promote a specific cause: safety for bicyclists in London. Eventually he got on his bike and cycled in place with his remaining time. Many have taken this opportunity to draw attention to their cause or charity. Many have worn costumes. One even wore his birthday suit last week, until a policeman told him to put on some clothes.

I felt a lot of compassion for this fair lady who was beautifully decked out, and stood faithfully in place smiling in the pouring down rain. Here's one fun thing you can do to not miss out on the action. Until October 14, you can click on One and Other and see a live feed of who is on the plinth and what they're up to. I must add a disclaimer as the website does. None of the views or opinions expressed by the participants are endorsed by me, and I hope that when you tune in what you see will be in good taste! Check back often, there's always a show going on.

Now here's my question for you. If you had an hour and the world was your stage, just what would you do?

Up on the Roof

Living in a townhouse in London has its ups and downs--literally. Our home there is on five levels, and if you count the terrace on the rooftop, it is actually 6 levels. Homes in London are often, built up, rather than out like our home in Houston. So, on any given day, we are up and down the stairs constantly. Imagine two flights of stairs to get a drink of water when tucked in your bed at night. That's when drinking out of the bathtub faucet crosses your mind. Or if one of us is in the computer room and the other is in the TV room, it's 2 and a half flights of stairs to ask a simple question. Our guests are often caught unawares that it's an aerobic workout to their room. Both guest rooms are on the top level, so I try to train them to bring everything down they need in the morning, to save having to go back up. It's that trip up three flights to retrieve a forgotten umbrella that tends to get to them.

Once you get to the top level, there is a surprise awaiting you. A magic door electrically drops down from the ceiling at the touch of a switch. It always reminds me of something from the ET movie the way it slithers open and down. Once down you can begin your ascent to the sky.

At the top of the stairs, you'll find yourself on a rooftop terrace. The top has opened to reveal a whole new world above the busy streets. There is a warning though: if it begins to rain, the top shuts down automatically to prevent rain entering the house. My husband and I have often wondered how much time we'd have to scurry down should that scenario present itself. We really don't have a back-up plan in case the door shuts on us and leaves us stranded on the rooftop.

So we just enjoy the rooftop when the sun is shining....

From the southwest corner of the terrace you get a view of the neighborhood. The buildings in this area were built in the late 19th century. These buildings are even taller than ours, and are often divided up into "flats" or apartments on a single level.

From the southeast corner of the rooftop, you can see Christ Church, the Anglican church just across the little square at our doorway

and the primary school run by the church. The children gather there on school days just before nine o'clock and then leave about 3 o'clock. It's quite an entertaining show to watch.

From the northwest corner, you can lean out and see the length of the street all the way to Kings Road at the end, a major shopping high street.

Standing at the northeast corner, you look out over a sea of chimneys.

And I'm always reminded of the song Chim, Chim Cheree from Mary Poppins.

I choose me bristles with pride, yes, I do
A broom for the shaft and a brush for the flute
Up where the smoke is all billered and curled
'Tween pavement and stars is the chimney sweep world
When there's 'ardly no day nor 'ardly no night
There's things 'alf in shadow and 'alfway in light
On the rooftops of London coo, what a sight!

And if you'd care to sing along....